Mono or Multi-coloured Walls

How to choose what works for you

Choosing a colour for your humble abode can be a tricky business. Trust me, I learned it the hard way. Couple of years back, I was moving with my family to my current home. When the first brick was laid my parents entrusted me with the apartment's interior décor. I, without having any time to mull it over, agreed. And why wouldn't I? I felt I was an expert having seen the first three seasons of 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'. All I needed to do was download couple hundred photos of fancy interiors from the net and ask the local carpenter to re-produce all the fancy furniture from the IKEA catalog that I downloaded. Boy was I wrong!

If you are a soon-to-be home owner or on the verge of redoing the interior decor of your quarters and you are anything like me, then colours for your walls wouldn't come to your mind till the very last minute. It's probably because you, exactly like me, spent hours scouring the internet for furniture and tiles and drapes and rags. No worries; it's never too late. Just relax and go through the following tips and you will be fine:

1. Talk with your family first. You and your family will be the primary occupant of the space. So it is very important you hear from each and every one of them. Yes, there will be difference of opinion. It's natural to expect your 18 year old son and your 65 year old mother suggest different colours. After discussing with the family, set some ground rules according to the final verdict, budget, time etc.

2. There's a psychology of colours that you need understand. Colours will evoke certain moods & tones for the room. So when choosing colours you must keep in mind that stronger colours like red and blue are for live, dramatic themes whereas softer and cooler colours will create a quieter feeling. We'll cover this in detail later.

3. There are couples of things you need to consider before colouring you walls i.e. colour of the tile, the colour of the window glasses etc. Moreover the décor and the illumination scheme should also be taken in account. For example: if you choose a teal tinted float glass then the 'Apple White' colour will be a suitable choice.

4. After choosing the common space wall colours (which are generally neutral colours in Bangladesh) you can now work on the colouring of individual spaces. You can start by adding a few stronger colours. Playing safe isn't always the best policy especially when it comes to decorating your home. So do interject elements if you feel so.

5. It's entirely normal not to find your taste the very first time. If budget and time allows then test your colour choice. Just put colours on poster board or large areas of a wall.

6. Decorative wallpapers or textured wall paints are the in thing now. If you plan to use those then you can use any colour as the base colour since no one is going to see them anyways.

7. Sometimes we forget how much practical our colours should be. So places like playroom or kitchen, try to pick something glossier. Because it is easier it is to clean up the drawings or the grease. You can easily wipe the wall down with a damp sponge (not too damp) and no one would find out.

8. In Bangladesh most developers raise the walls hastily. So it's fairly common to have walls with lots of imperfections (rough surface). In these cases use a coat of flat or matte paint. But there is a downside. Generally it doesn't stand up well to a good cleaning particularly with a damp sponge. So we advise to choose this for rooms that won't attract lots of fingerprints and dirt on the walls.

9. You can use multiple vibrant colours in a room to make it look bigger. Contrary to popular belief, white doesn't make a room look larger. Research shows that deeper colours create a partial illusion by making the corners disappear hence making the room look bigger. It elongates the room by making the wall appear to recede. Ofcourse the colour alone just won't do the trick. You would also need to use mirrors and furniture accordingly.

To be honest, in Bangladesh, colouring the walls of your interior isn't a tedious endeavor. So try to play with the colours. You can always repaint it if you don't get it right the very first time. And do remember these are general tips (not hard and fast rules to live by). Have fun choosing colours and go with your instincts. And do let us know if you have any suggestions or hot tips. Email us at spaces.tds@outlook.com